THE OTHER MISSILES OF OCTOBER

During the Cold War years of 1960-1962 the United States, in cooperation with its Italian and Turkish NATO allies, installed  Jupiter nuclear missile sites in Italy and Turkey as front-line protections for Europe and the United States against Russia's ever-increasing belligerence throughout the world. Russia likewise then installed nuclear missile countermeasures in Cuba. It was the discovery of Russia's missiles in Cuba by a United States U- 2 reconnaissance aircraft flyover that precipitated the ensuing missile crisis of October, 1962 between the United States,  Russia, and Cuba which brought these countries to the brink of nuclear war. This historical presentation of Redstone Arsenal's development of the Redstone missile and its progeny, the Jupiter SM-78 weapon  system under Wernher von Braun's direction, of Chrysler Corporation Missile Division's Installation and Checkout Teams (I&C Teams) including I&C Team II’s installation and verification activities in Turkey during the years 1961-1962, is that as seen from the perspective of George L. Smith, then a 19-year old member of the team.                                        Site Search                      Last Updated:  01/21/2018  1653  (Jupiter-SM778-Vs9-20180121)